The point is that I can do it, and don't have to pay some shop-monkey $100/hr to do something that I could have done myself. "More advanced" does not equal "better". Go the the drag track sometime and see what the bikers are running. You might be surprised.
I own a FI Softail, and I bought a Power Commander programmable fuel/ignition controller so that I wouldn't have to pay the Harley stealers $100 plus shop rates to re-program my stock controller every time I changed air filters, exhaust, etc, or wanted to re-map my bike's performance for better low-end torque, better two-up fuel-efficiency, etc, etc. Dealing with those guys is a crap-shoot, and if they make the wrong call call, you pay again to make them fix their screw-ups. Good for the stealerships, and bad for the riders.
No. You only have to change the performance map if you make drastic changes in air-filter permeability, exhaust back-pressure and anti-reversion properties, etc. Little changes do not require reprogramming, but if you decide to change big stuff, you should be prepared to re-map. Then, I do not trust the maps, but do high-temp, high-speed runs near places where I can do an ignition shut-off and coast into a truck stop to inspect the plugs. The plugs should be a light gray or light brownish-gray. If they are dark - the map is too rich, and if the plugs are white, the map is too lean. I have done this for many years with carbs, and computerized FI just adds an extra (to me) level of complexity.
When I owned normally-aspirated Harleys with carbs, I tore them down, rejetted, and modded them infrequently, but often did so to see "what if". My '86 Wide Glide had an S&S Super E racing carb, and though the bike had a fairly steep cam and head-work by Dave Perewitz (maybe the best builder in the US) it was doggy at low RPMs. I figured out that this was due to the very large throat of the carb and the resultant low air-velocity/atomization of fuel from the venturi when this butterfly-type carb was running at moderate outputs. The solution was to install a Doug Yost "Power-Tube" pre-atomiser to turn the fuel into a fine mist even at low air-flows. The gain in low-range torque was incredible, and the two-up touring mileage went from under 45 mpg to a solid 50 mpg at the same time. I can tune a carbureted bike instinctively with little effort. Electronic fuel/air/ignition control ties my hands.
That's a big factor in my choice. I am pretty throttle-happy and a couple of >20mph moving violations could make insurance very pricey. I also want to keep the cost/resale value reasonable. Owning a Harley in Maine can be pricey because when you go the the town office to register, they look up the current value in a price guide and you have to pay excise tax based on that value. Japanese bikes devalue very quickly, but Harleys do not. I bought my first new Harley (a Fat-Bob) in 1985 for $6500 and I sold it in 1995 for $8500. Boomers started thinking Harleys were cool in the late '80s, and H-D couldn't keep up with the demand, so prices soared. I didn't mind the excise tax so much in those days, because I was easily logging 7-8K mi/year, but now many of my riding buddies are either sick, too busy, or less-interested and I'm riding alone when I ride. That's why I'm considering dual-sports, too, because I love to fish and there are lots of dirt/gravel roads through timber-lands that lead to nice streams and ponds.
I can understand what he's going through. :rofl:I'm sorry, I have to
Oh, yeah! Rod offered me some great deals on his line-up of Monsters when he was giving up his dealership. I stuck with the Harley line, though now most of my day-tripping buddies are out of commission, I wish I'd bought the 750 Monster instead. Tons of power in a nice package - and yes, it did look a whole lot sexier than the Japanese sport bikes with their plastic shells. I'd consider a used Monster, but the nearest dealer now is at the south end of the state, and Rod told me that he just doesn't want to work on them any more. He's got his line of KTMs and an RV business that keeps him hopping, and he doesn't have the time to take on more work.
If i were not in love with old Britbikes the Dukes would be my next choise.
With 69 mpg at highway speeds, the Blast is a really inexpensive ride. I just filled up my truck today and paid $3.619/gal for regular. There are some great trout waters in the state, but the price of gas keeps me conservative. A Blast could change that. My Softail gets almost 50 mpg but I can't bring myself to take it on gravel roads and chip the paint. It still looks new after 3 years. I wouldn't mind dirtying up a Blast.
They let ANYBODY in, though most of the old family-owned dealerships in the state are gone - eaten up by chains. When I wanted to buy a Softail, I called the nearest dealership and asked if they had a basic fuel-injected Softail with no extras, and they said yes, so I drove an hour to look it over and they had pulled the old bait-and-switch. The plainest Softail they had was sporting pearl paint, smooth-rimmed wheels and a security system. Even worse, they refused to come down on the price after I pointed out the bait-and-switch and ID'd the salesman who had lied to me. I called them some bad names, whipped out my cell-phone and called a more distant (and still family-owned) HD dealership, and asked if they had a base-model Softail with EFI in stock. They said "yes" and I said "put a hold tag on it - I'm coming down". I smiled "nicely" at the liars as I left their store. I got to the family-owned place, looked at "my" bike, negotiated with one of the owners and got another $600 off the price, and paid for it with a personal check. They never asked to see my ID. I have never been in their shop before, and I was wearing old jeans with oil-stains, a T-shirt, and some old running shoes. Those old guys knew the difference between a poser and the real deal. (Especially when I tried to persuade them to sell me one of the old flat-track bikes on display from their private collection.) They retired the next year and sold their dealership to the big chain that owns the liar's store. Bah!